Spring cleaning

Warmer weather has arrived and it’s time for spring cleaning! Open the windows and let the fresh air into your home. Cleanse it of dirt and junk. House chores do take some time and elbow grease, but when embraced, spring cleaning is a ritual of renewal that energizes and encourages. And you can go even further with it.

Think of your home as an outward representation of your mind. Orderly home, orderly mind. Furthermore, the outward environment influences the inner, so as you clear space in your physical environment, you also clear space in your mind. This lends itself to increased mental agility and forces a positive shift your attitude, which impacts your overall quality of life. You’re clearing clutter for clarity, as my spiritual teacher says. Use this to gain leverage over your life by being strategic about how you compose your home.

A two-step process:

The first step is to eliminate clutter. As much as possible, get rid of things you don’t use. If you’re not certain about a particular item or just can’t get rid of it, put it in storage. When you release items you’re not using, you’re also releasing the experiences attached to those things. You’re not losing the memories, but you are removing the visual reminders of them. All of your power is Now. Be more in the present by ritually freeing yourself from the past. If your home contains reminders of sad times and make you feel bad when you look at them, get them out of there. It may be difficult to actually do, but you’ll feel lighter for having done it. Anything that’s really not fit to be trash can be given to others. Being kind and generous will lighten you even more and share good will with others. Go through your wardrobe and reorganize it for the season. Have a clothing swap party to get rid of garments you don’t wear, and receive some new pieces to freshen up your closet. You’ll also nourish yourself by nurturing your friendships.

The second step is to reorganize whatever is left. This is your chance to build more efficiency into your days. Put the things you use the most in the most accessible places. Think outside of the box and perhaps rearrange entire rooms, or even re-allocate different rooms for specific uses for different functions.

While you’re at it, this is the ideal time to establish a space in your home for an activity you want to devote time to. A corner of your bedroom could become a meditation space. If you’re really going to write that book, you’ll need a place to write it. Have the kids moved out? Turn their old bedrooms into a place to exercise or work on crafts. Reorganize the basement or garage to create a new home for those projects that, until now, have only lived in the back of your mind.

The end resultA thorough cleaning of the home is not just a chore, it’s a catharsis. And when you intentionally put your home in order, you’re claiming it as a space you are master of. It’s amazing how much more calm and in control I feel when I’m done. If you’re anything like me, you’ll move around the space with greater ease. You know where everything is. For some reason that’s comforting in a subtle and deep way, but the practical benefit of knowing where everything is, is that you won’t use up time in your busy day searching for a particular item. Minutes saved here and there – they add up. Don’t we always wish we had more time? We get it when the household flows efficiently.

By the way, this isn’t something to do just once a year. Whenever your life starts to feel like it’s getting out of control, do a mini version of this by tackling one room. You’ll feel better in general and you’ll feel better able to deal with the situation that is bothering you.

Spring is here and that puts a spring in our step! Everything is springing to life all around and we can be a part of it. Just as we shed layers of clothing to let the warm air touch our skin; let’s shed layers of waste and weight to allow the exuberant energy of life and forward motion, transform our lives.

“The homes of the householders who have well-governed minds and have banished their sense of egoism are as good as solitary forests, cool caves or peaceful woods.” Yoga Vasistha, The World Within the Mind